Sydney’s Club Music maestro Grasps_ is showing no mercy with the release of his much anticipated Alone EP via Los Angeles imprint TAR.

The EP see’s Grasps_ aka Christian Whitwell doing what he does best – unrelenting kicks, tribal percussion, sharp vocal chops, and big in-your-face stabs; not to mention his signature haunting square wave leads (anybody else reminded of the ice caverns in Zelda 64?).

The EP showcases many influences and sub-genres from Hardcore to Dancehall to Grime, Jersey Club and Trap whilst always keeping razor sharp focus on retaining that thunderous, club ready sound he has become renowned for.

The title track Alone kicks off the voyage with an eerie string that is quickly accompanied by a pounding Hardstyle kick in a quintessential Dancehall pattern. Slow building, it develops into something reminiscent of  being drenched in sweat at 4am in a Rotterdam bunker.

Next up, we have Clique which opens with a lingering string melody that interplays with some garage-esque chord and bass stabs before the disjointed Ragga acapella fades in from the distance, carrying on throughout most of the track. Usually vocals are upfront and the main focus point but Grasps_seems to let this one take a back seat and fly under the radar, running its own course whilst still somehow strangely working perfectly. I feel its when you question things artists do in their music and how they are executed that you gather a newfound respect for them and their process.

Behind door number three we have Guilt, a dark and stormy, beat-driven affair complete with snarling bass whips, marching style drums, and a cascading melody that serves to glue it all together into a big cohesive ball of club culture. The attention to details are what makes this track. Call and response and interplay between elements are rife and perfectly executed.

The final track Mutilate does that Zelda ice cavern thing I mentioned earlier (man, I’m taken back). With backup from a hovering vocal chorus before breaking down to the 4×4 Jersey claps and progressive arpeggios, Mutilate goes full throttle into pounding kicks and choppy incidentals. Christian seamlessly unites anthemic and underground here, making this a hauntingly beautiful piece of music to listen to.

Grasps_ is rocking Sydney’s dance scene at the moment, and he’s truly one of the most extraordinary producers in the game right now. After listening to this EP, my brain is melting… I bow down to you.

Do yourselves a favour and stream Grasps_ Alone EP and see what all the hype is about!